In Ps 46:2-3, the Psalmist wrote, “Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.”
The Psalmist is describing events that will take place at the second coming of Jesus Christ. The earth will be removed. Is 24:1 says, “Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.” The mountains will be carried into the midst of the sea. In Rev 8:8, “a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea.” That’s why Jesus told his disciples, “if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done,” Matt 21:21.
The waters will roar and be troubled and the mountains will shake with the swelling thereof. Is 28:2 says, “Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the hand.”
Ezek 38:20 says, “the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.” This won’t be a Hollywood movie with special effects and scary sound tracks. This will be the real deal.
And men world-wide are going to be scared to death. They will hide in dens and in the rocks of the mountains. They will cry to the mountains and rocks to fall on them and hide them from the Lord’s face, Rev 6:16-17. And in the midst of this world-wide catastrophe and calamity, the Psalmist said, Therefore will not we fear. He wasn’t just writing about himself. He said, “we.” That “we” can and should include you and me. We won’t be coming through the Tribulation like the rest of the world. But how is it even possible that we could face such dire circumstances like these and not fear?
Therefore will not we fear:
Because God is our refuge – Ps 46:1 – the only way to keep from being afraid in real trouble is to make God our refuge. Unfortunately, what most of us do is that we take refuge in something other than the Lord and his words of wisdom, understanding and discretion. We take refuge in lies. Some will even say, “I’m really not afraid,” when they are very scared. Look what Isaiah said in Is 28:15-17. It makes no sense for us to trust anything or anyone other than the Lord. Look at Prov 3:21-26. There is no sleep aid, no article on the internet, no word from your doctor, no word from someone in the executive, legislative, or judicial branches of government, or anything else that can give you confidence like you will find in the Lord himself.
If you are afraid, if you fear, then God isn’t your refuge; not yet. Imagine if you were running from an attacker and suddenly peace officers appeared. One opened the car door to his patrol car, let you in, and locked the doors, while the others arrested your attacker. You might still have a surge of adrenaline, but you would now be perfectly safe. You have refuge. There is not reason to be afraid. The Lord does better than this. He takes you home with him and keeps you safe.
Because God is our strength – Ps 46:1 – have you ever noticed how fear zaps your strength. In sports, when an athlete fears losing, he or she chokes. The sensation is that of having all your strength depleted. In the face of trouble, thankfully, we don’t have to rely upon our strength. The Lord is our strength. It helps you to admit, “I am weak, but thou art strong.” The less you rely upon any personal strength, and the more you rely solely upon the Lord’s strength, the stronger you are. As good a man of war as David was, he said, “I will go in the strength of the Lord God,” Ps 71:16. Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me,” Phil 4:13.
Look what God is able to do. In Ps 42:6, the Lord sums up the end of the Tribulation and the second coming of Jesus Christ like this, “The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted.” What an understatement. It’s like Prov 29:16, “When the wicked are multiplied, transgression increaseth: but the righteous shall see their fall.” The destruction of the wicked is not a big deal to God. He just makes it happen and there is nothing sensational about it. They are nothing to him. And trouble, no matter the source of it, should be nothing to us. God is strong enough to handle anything and everything.
Because God is our help – Ps 46:1 – a very present help in trouble. God is not helping those against us; he is helping us. He’s on our side and we are on his side. Look at Ps 46:5, regarding Jerusalem, “God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.” Ps 46:7, 11 “The Lord of hosts is with us.” Look what he does in Ps 46:8-9. Look how he puts an end to all war.
And then he is exalted among the heathen, and he is exalted in the earth, Ps 46:10. He, rather than the thing we fear, ought to be exalted in our lives. Our God is the winner all the time. He has never lost and he never will. When you look to someone for help, look to God. He never fails, ever. That’s why the Psalmist said, “Therefore will not we fear.”
Conclusion: According to Ps 46:10, when you are not afraid because you have God for your refuge, your strength, and your help, you can “Be still, and know that I am God.” So, be still now, and know that he is God. He’s got this. Let him have whatever in your life is causing you fear.